Tours in Austin

With horrifying haunts designed to elicit new shrieks each year, House of Torment Haunted House keeps bones chilled well below room temperature. HauntWorld.com ranked House of Torment in its Top 13 Haunts in 2011, praising it as a "Dynamic and ultra-creative attraction" that is "widely considered to be one of the most innovated haunted houses in the country." Other rave reviewers include the Travel Channel and the Wall Street Journal, who call the haunted house, "20,000 square feet of terror." Though House of Torment's attractions change annually, its wall of shame exists as an immortal photo catalog of all those who have squealed in fright or received bunny ears on its premises.

Local residents and Austin Eats Food Tours founders Andy and Lindsey pluck inspiration from their city’s abundant and encyclopedic assortment of cuisine, sharing their finds with locals and visitors. As they lead participants through the city in search of regional and international bites, they regale them with Austin history, such as how it became the capital city of Texas and why Austin-style pizza is shaped like a guitar.

SegCity has ridden the wave of Segway popularity to become one of Texas' largest distributors of the upright vehicle and a leader in Segway-authorized tours. With themes ranging from cultural campus tours to bat-cave excursions, six narrated guided tours escort visitors and locals alike around Austin's famed sites, such as 6th Street, the Texas Walk of Fame, and the Capitol. As an authorized Segway dealer, the business can also outfit riders with their own Segways and a take-home bassinet for their new vehicle to sleep in at night.

City Chase packs a season's worth of The Amazing Race into up to six hours of frantic, fun-filled activity. After being handed a sheet of cryptic clues, you and your teammate will run, walk, hop, frolic, parkour, and use public transportation to navigate your way from ChasePoint to ChasePoint scattered throughout the UT Drag, the Red River, and other parts of the city. Each ChasePoint contains a challenge designed to tax the mind, body, and spirit—demanding every last dram of teamwork, resourcefulness, determination, and quick-wittedness you have. When even that won't suffice, it'll take phone calls to friends and fam, access to the Internet, or the kindness of strangers to persevere. Every year and every city boasts different challenges, but previous trials have included chopping raw meat, handling snakes, engaging in swordplay, sparring with a mixed martial artist, pole dancing, playing dodgeball, leaping from vertiginous heights, or diving into freezing water. The first team to complete 10 ChasePoints and cross the finish line wins and will get to compete in the national championship. Check out the FAQ and rules and regulations to make sure that you're adequately prepared for the completely unexpected. Registration starts at 8 a.m., and the race begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m., with a post-party and awards ceremony from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Nation Tours, also currently known as Segway Nation, lets people explore Texas's rich history and culture while aboard self-balancing vehicles. Rolling through Austin's past, their guides spin tales of prominent landmarks such as the Texas State Capitol building and Lady Bird Lake. These adventures echo in San Antonio, where segways travel through Houston Street and HemisFair Park. In Dallas, convoys zip past historic sites such as Dealey Plaza and The JFK Memorial. When night falls across either city, Segway Nation sends a spooky chill down sightseers' spines during their signature City Lights Ghost tour. Segways zip across each city's haunted locations, outrunning ghosts who don't have the physical weight to lean their segways forward. Nation Tours also rents bikes for self-guided tours while redefining its former Segway Nation identity.